I play with Jazz III's, Ultex Sharp 1.40's, and Jazz III XL's. I feel like they all give a different tone, but I'll get used to one, and then use it for a week or two then go back to another. I love the Jazz III's but I can't get full pickslides with 'em. On the other hand, they make your alternate picking better subconsciously.

Ultex's are great except for the lack of grip, I think I'll just put some hockey tape on one side soon though. I can get a real sharp attack with them and they last forever. The XL's are pretty much just like paddle sized Jazz's

Anyway, those are my 2 cents.

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Originally Posted by luxeion

i keep asking my dad for wood. but he keeps getting annoyed (he's working on a house). and i'm too young to go outside.

At home I play a lot of lead and rhythm and use thick Fender picks. I've occasionally used thin Fenders for playing rhythm, but really prefer the heavier picks. I also have some Jazz III and felt picks for playing jazz. When I'm playing lead guitar with my group, it's nothing but heavy picks for me.

I only use Ultex now because I like the feel of them a lot. I found one in a variety pack one day and I really like the way it sounded coming off the strings, if that makes sense. For acoustic or lighter songs, I use Ultex .60. If its something heavier or if it requires faster picking I use Ultex Sharp .73 or .90

I have some Ultex 1.14, but I have a hard time controlling thicker picks sometimes.

Dunlop Jazz III's for playing, usually...other picks for recording. e.g. a thin pick gives a completely different strumming sound etc., so it depends on what I think fits.
I loved the pick I got from a Stevie Salas live, it's a Dunlop but I'm not sure what one (custom picks that I never saw anywhere :/ ), that was great for funk.

Some years back, Guitar Player magazine put up a photo of the picks from 100 top players. Wildly different. There were a lot of "standard" type picks, but also everything else you can think of, and some you can't.... John McLaughlin used to use a thick chunk of lucite plastic...

Most people that use picks tend to experiment till they find something they like... They are mostly pretty cheap. (you can pay 30 bucks for certain high-end jobs)

I personally have stuck with the Dunlop nylon .88 mm jobs for many years. I do mostly bluegrass-type flatpicking on both guitar and mandolin. These are stiff enough for single-note work, slick enough to allow rapid boom-chicka-boom strumming, wear like iron, and are dead cheap. Perfect for me.

Thicker, chunkier picks tend to provide a bit smoother, warmer sound... Often favored by jazz players.
Thinner, sharper picks are often favored by pure strummers.
We know a guy who used to cut his "picks" out of thin nylon-sheet material that was so floppy you could not play single notes at all. He never did though, just straight up-and-down strumming. Worked for him.

I haven't touch a grandpa guitar in years, but used to use Dunlop Sharp Tortex 1.35s. I just got an assorted pack of V-Picks, and they're absolutely amazing. I highly recommend them. I expected them to have a clangy tone, but they sound awesome.

I've always like Dunlop Gels, medium. They often have a little burr or something on the edge, so I sort of strop them on my jeans to polish the edge a bit and make it slicker. I find the mediums have enough stiffness to really push a note when you want to, but it still has some give, and they're smooth enough to slide over the strings easily if you turn it slightly sideways. It also sticks to your fingers surprisingly well.